Still from Ford’s “Finish Strong” site.
Ford
In a new advertising campaign using actor Bryan Cranston, Ford Motor urges Americans to adhere to Covid-19 protocols to save lives in the upcoming period of the pandemic.
The campaign, which is part of an initiative the company has dubbed #FinishStrong, includes a new ad by filmmaker Peter Berg and starring “Breaking Bad” and “Your Honor.” The spots will be released during college football games on ABC and ESPN and NFL games on Fox in early January.
Ford leaders said Wednesday in a call that the company wanted to extend Covid protocols in the last stretch of the pandemic in an effort to prevent tens of thousands of additional deaths as vaccines spread.
“We’re entering a really critical period,” said Mark Truby, Ford’s director of communications. “Vaccines are just around the corner, but we know from health experts and others that up to 50,000 more American lives could be saved by the time vaccines are massively adopted, etc., and the types of numbers that really mark the difference “.
The ad, which includes scenes of front-line workers and those affected by Covid, aims to give a unifying tone.
“We know Americans don’t necessarily want to be preached and don’t want to hear scare tactics,” Truby said. “The idea behind this was how can we come up with a positive message that attracts a sense of humanity, patriotism, a sense of doing the right thing to each other?”
The company worked with advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy and Civic Entertainment Group on site. Ford is dedicating a series of slots during the early January games that it would originally use to promote its F-150 truck.
Ford has worked with the UAW to produce what it says are tens of millions of personal protective equipment amid the pandemic, including 20 million face shields, 50,000 fans, 32,000 respirators and 1.4 million gowns.